AntiClause
by 1983Sarah
Summary: Sam and Dean thought they'd faced the anti-Clause once before. Is it really him this time? Just WHAT is an anti-Clause? And if they tell Bobby that one more time, what will he say!
1. Chapter 1 Merry Freakin' Christmas

_**Anti-Clause **_

The softly falling snow seemed to cover the world in a downy white blanket. It should have been a peaceful and calm setting. But it wasn't.

"So, what did you say this creature likes again?" Dean asked as he eased the Impala through a snow drift.

"Well, remember how we'd talked about the anti-Clause a couple of years back?" Sam looked sheepishly at his older brother.

"Yeaaa?" Dean questioned slowly.

"Well, I think it's really him this time. Missing scarves, socks, cocoa. Coal left everywhere. It's got to be him."

"This time, just don't call Bobby. Not until we're sure."

"We might not have a choice, Dean. This thing moves awfully fast, he's pretty evil for something associated with Christmas. He must like this town because of all the corruption that has taken place here recently. That and lots of violence."

Sam flipped through their dad's journal but couldn't find anything about any type of Christmas spirits, same as the last time they had encountered a denizen of the Christmas season, the awful Carrigan gods who liked to chow down on humans.

"We checkin' into a hotel soon?" Sam asked, looking up from the journal. "I need some better internet access, the snow must be messin' with my wireless connection."

"Yeah, there's one a few miles up ahead. The roads are getting shitty so I want to pull in for a bit, get my 'snow-legs'. Not to mention that this anti-Clause, or whatever the hell it is, hasn't been easy to track down."

Sam grinned, "He never is."

A few hours later the sleek, black Impala sat in a hotel parking lot, soft, wet, white piles of snow collecting on its frame. Through the iced over window covered in lights and red-green garland the shape of two men could be seen. One sprawled across the mattress as it gently vibrated; the other settled at a desk with a laptop open.

"Well, it's pretty much how I remembered it, Dean; the evil assistant of Saint Nicholas, Black Peter, who deals with the punitive side of Christmas. He's the one who would give out coal to those who did bad things, punished them physically with blows to the head or body, and would drag souls to hell with him."

"Be bad and Black Peter will beat the shit out of you and carry you body and soul to hell? Merry Friggin' Christmas!" Dean mumbled, his eyes closed and a smile of pleasure on his face as the "Magic Fingers" of the bed did the trick, easing the hunter's tense muscles.

Sam just rolled his eyes in exasperation, shaking his head. He could never understand how Dean could be so cavalier about such things.

"Are you even listening? This thing is **bad** bad. From the bowels of hell, bad."

"So's Lucifer. Not worried about some wimpy anti-Santa."

"Dean, it's not "The Grinch" we're talking about here. This thing supposedly was subdued by St. Nicholas to a certain extent but continues to "birch" adults and children, meaning, beats them, sometimes to death, with a birch branch!"

"Has anyone died yet?" Dean raised his eyebrows and opened one eye a crack in the direction of his younger brother.

"Well, no, but it's only a matter of time. So far it's just actual coal showing up, items missing, and a few rather bruised children and adults." Sam's voice rose as each act he listed escalated in violence.

"Right, so, he's working his way to the whole 'drag me to hell' bit."

"Doesn't mean we should let him get to that point."

"Yeah, I know. But it's not like we have any idea where this 'Black Peter' would hide. These anti-Clause types sure are sneaky bastards." Dean sat up as he'd run out of quarters to feed the "Magic Fingers" bed.

"Better watch it. The anti-Clause is also known as Krampus, an incubus or succubus type of demon. I'd stop with the vibrating bed if I were you."

"Nah, it might lead him to us, save us from having to do the whole "hunting" portion of this trip." Dean grinned widely and headed into the bathroom.

"Where're you going?" Sam slid the laptop from the desk into his hands and headed for the unoccupied bed of the room.

"To powder my nose, Samantha. What's it look like I'm doing?" Dean gestured to his arms, which held clean clothes.

"Fine. Just don't use all the hot water, diva Dean."

"I'm NOT a diva," hollered Dean over his shoulder as he slammed the door shut.

"Sure you aren't," chuckled Sam, once again settled in front of his laptop screen to view the disturbing images of Krampus, Black Peter, the anti-Clause himself. Sometimes the demon creature looked mostly human and almost like Santa, luring the kids with sweets and a smiling face with a white beard, but most times he was depicted in a manner befitting the devil himself, with cloven hooves, a goatish face, forked tail and tongue, and hefty horns framing his face.

"You are one fugly dude, and Dean would agree with me on this."

Sam clicked on a few more links, trying to discover a way to track the anti-Clause.


	2. Chapter 2 Rock, Paper, Scissors

Dean emerged from the shower, dressed and ready to head out, "Ok, let's get this evil sonovabitch and get back to some holiday delights. I wanna see some ladies mistle-ing my toes and decking my halls!

"What about me?" Sam looked up in surprise.

"You can watch," Dean teased.

"Not what I meant, and you know it."

"You're already too clean, Barbie girl, don't need a shower. I'm not worried. In fact, we'll dress you up as a little girl; attract the Krampus demon that way."

"Not funny, Dean. How** are **we supposed to track it?"

"That's easy."

"It is, huh. You weren't so sure about it all a few minutes ago."

"That's because I actually took some time to think it out."

"You called Bobby, didn't you?"

"Now, why would you say that, Sammy? I'm hurt. You don't think I'm smart enough to figure this out all on my lonesome?"

Sam snorted.

"Ok, fine, I did call Bobby. And he said…"

"That you're an idjit."

Dean looked rather embarrassed for second and then shrugged and seemed to recover. "Well, that too, but he said that if it's really and truly what we've been calling the anti-Clause then Krampus is fairly easy to track as he only comes out during the holidays. After naughty people."

"And this helps us, **how** exactly?" Sam spoke with deep exasperation. He was practically tapping his foot on the floor, waiting for Dean to get to the point.

"We just have to be bad ass mothers. Krampus will come to try and drag us to hell or at the very least beat the shit out of us."

"That's your plan? If you be bad, he will come?"

"Yep," Dean grinned.

"Exactly how does one dispatch Krampus, the incubus/succubus demon of Christmas? Start singing Whoville tunes and watch his heart grow bigger?"

Dean shrugged, "He's a demon, right? Figure a regular demon-killing knife to the heart or head would do the trick, along with a devil's trap, the colt, and some salt. Standard fare for us."

Sam frowned but didn't say anything. He couldn't think of anything that was "standard fare" for them, other than demons, angels, ghosts, and all sorts of unspeakable evil always around them.

In a short amount of time the Winchesters had gathered all the materials they figured they would need and headed out onto the streets.

"So, does this thing look like a human or a fugly ass bitch?" Dean carefully piloted the Impala around a patch of black ice to avoid skidding off into a ditch.

"Seems to pick and choose, able to sorta transform at will, I guess to inflict the most damage."

"You mean, scare the shit out of the most kids and people in general. Nice, that's something new."

"Seems like we get too many something new's," Sam grumbled, holding onto the book of exorcism just in case.

"There, that looks like a good spot to kick some demon ass and raise a little hell, doesn't it Sammy boy?" Dean turned the Impala into the parking lot of an abandoned building. Its walls were crumbling and spray painted multiple times so that all the tags were completely incoherent. Trash whipped around in the breeze, while some was sticking to the ground, frozen in place.

"This looks perfect?" Sam planted both feet outside the door of the car and cringed to look at all the refuse.

"You just need a better imagination Sam, picture this as demon central."

"Actually, I can easily see them as enjoying the whole drunken bum look." Sarcasm dripped off of Sam's lips thick as honey but Dean chose to ignore the barb.

"So, we'll clear the area, making sure there aren't any people around and then, well, start being bad."

"Easy for you, Dean," Sam smugly pointed out. "It might be a bit difficult for me."

"Says the man who drank demon blood," Dean snapped back and instantly regretted it when he saw the hurt look appear in Sam's eyes so he quickly amended, "And of course it's easy for me, I'm the one who went to hell. I know a few things about torture, makes me prime real-estate for Krampus."

Awkward silence filled the night for a few seconds before an unvoiced truce was called yet again. Dean and Sam then worked in the dark of the night to light several fires in the vacant building and create a devil's trap hidden under some trash barrels. Salt lines were drawn around the Impala to help protect it from harm and then the Winchester's sat back and waited.

"So, what were the other yo-yos doing who got bitch slapped by Saint Nick's evil side kick?"

"One was skimming money from the workplace. The other was a little girl who'd just stolen something. Then there were the reports of missing Christmas and winter paraphernalia, like I said before; and of course, coal being left behind."

"So, burning down public property should do…Oomph!" Suddenly Dean was down on the ground. Less than a second later Sam joined him on the cold, hard asphalt. Evil laughter filled the air as the wrinkled old man beat the Winchester brothers with his birch rod.

"To hell with you all!" Krampus cackled in glee. "Oh yes, you are an evil bunch, you shall love it in hell, 'tis roasty toasty warm, made just for the likes of arsonists like you!"

The stunned men continued to feel the heavy blows thundering into their flesh. Sam rolled to his back and pulled out the exorcism book, hunched over it in protection as the blows continued. Dean's hand scrapped against the cold blacktop, his fingernails digging into the unyielding surface as his fingers finally gained hold of the grainy substance and he tossed the salt into Krampus' eyes.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhrrrggghhh!" the demon roared with the one, two punch of Latin and salt. His human looking form melted away to leave only the demonic monster in sight. The anti-Clause looked up with fire in his eyes. The horns that weighed heavily on his head were razor sharp and he bent low, charging at Dean and Sam.

Sam looked up just in time to see the massive figure coming at him and he reached below his waistband, pulling out the colt. The harsh click of the hammer sounded in the night air. Suddenly a war whoop resounded in unison with the screech of the bullet through the air. Dean had sprang up and gotten the demon-killing knife out of his waistband, launching himself at Krampus, slicing through skin and sinew down to the bone. Again and again the blade entered the demon, lightening flashing with each slash, while the bullet hit square in the evil being's head, also flashing light so that his very bones glowed with electricity beneath the skin. A final screech of the dying demon filled the night air and then only the subtle thump as the body hit the ground.

In a show of bravado Sam lifted the colt and, in a Dean-like gesture, blew the smoke away from the muzzle.

"We sure showed him."

Dean was still scrapping himself off of Krampus, but he looked up with his trademark grin.

"Damn. Told you, we're just getting too good for these guys."

The brothers looked down at the dead demon and the frozen ground around them. Each tossed a fist into the air and shook it three times.

"Haha! You're turn to dig, you always pick scissors, you know that, right?"

"C'mon, best two outta three?"

Sam just shakes his head and walks toward the Impala.

"C'mon, Sam, one more chance. Sammy? Sam!!"

The End


End file.
